editorNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Ofeibea Quist-Arcton is a journalist and broadcaster from Ghana who reports for NPR News on issues and developments related to West Africa. She spent her early years in Ghana, Italy, Britain and Kenya.Quist-Arcton has lived and worked in the U.K., France, Ivory Coast, U.S., South Africa and most recently Senegal, traveling all over Africa as a journalist, broadcaster, commentator and host.After completing high school in Britain, she took a degree in French studies with international relations and Spanish at the London School of Economics (LSE) and went on to study radio journalism at the Polytechnic of Central London, with two internships at the BBC.Quist-Arcton joined the BBC in 1985, working at a number of regional radio stations all over Britain, moving two years later to the renowned BBC World Service at Bush House in London, as a producer and host in the African Service. She traveled and reported throughout Africa.She spent the year leading up to 1990 in Paris, on a BBC journalistNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94Ofeibea Quist-ArctonTue, 04 Oct 2016 19:59:38 +0000Ofeibea Quist-Arctonhttp://ksut.org
Ofeibea Quist-ArctonShe wants to take pictures of happiness.That's one of the goals that Fati Abubakar set when she started her Instagram feed bitsofborno last year.Borno is a state in the troubled northeast of Nigeria, where the extremist group Boko Haram began operating. The capital city, Maiduguri, birthplace of the insurgency, is where this 30-year-old nurse lives and works as a project manager for a malnutrition project as well as a documentary photographer.Abubakar had been feeling frustrated that her home region is best known for its ties to Boko Haram. So in 2015, she decided to do something about it. She started taking pictures of the daily life that she says local and international media neglect as they focus on bomb blasts, suicide attacks, death and destruction — and the fallout from Boko Haram's violence.She photographs and profiles random regular folk of all ages, from all walks of life, then pulls out her notebook to record their views, posting pictures and text online.With her camera slungWho's The Woman With The Camera Chasing Smiles And Styles In Nigeria?http://ksut.org/post/whos-woman-camera-chasing-smiles-and-styles-nigeria
69871 as http://ksut.orgSun, 02 Oct 2016 21:07:00 +0000Who's The Woman With The Camera Chasing Smiles And Styles In Nigeria?Ofeibea Quist-ArctonCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Gabon Rocked By Deadly Protests After Opposition Alleges Election Fraudhttp://ksut.org/post/gabon-rocked-deadly-protests-after-opposition-alleges-election-fraud
69094 as http://ksut.orgFri, 02 Sep 2016 09:07:00 +0000Gabon Rocked By Deadly Protests After Opposition Alleges Election FraudOfeibea Quist-ArctonA holiday celebrating a dish beloved of many West Africans, World Jollof Day, was marked last week.Jollof is a celebration dish. You eat it at parties, naming ceremonies, weddings, funerals — you name it, you will see the familiar and comforting pot of steaming jollof rice.But jollof is also war – of the deliciously friendly variety.I come from Ghana, am based in Senegal and travel on reporting assignments all over West Africa. Almost every one of us from the region has grown up with fluffy, red-orange jollof rice, I suspect, as part of our diet. It is a universal favorite — the signature regional dish, with zillions of variations regarding its preparation, depending on your country of origin. And the rivalry is intense about whose country's jollof rice is best and why. It's a never-ending dispute – and mainly good-natured, though heartfelt.As my dear friend Ronke Onadeko, who's Nigerian, recently put it, "This jollof matter is sensitive and personal."So, let's start with the basics.Jollof Rice: West Africans Dish It Up With A Hefty Serving Of Smack Talkhttp://ksut.org/post/jollof-rice-west-africans-dish-it-hefty-serving-smack-talk
69020 as http://ksut.orgTue, 30 Aug 2016 19:45:00 +0000Jollof Rice: West Africans Dish It Up With A Hefty Serving Of Smack TalkOfeibea Quist-ArctonIt's World Refugee Day today, and the head of the UN's refugee agency, FiIippo Grandi, has released some startling statistics – starting with the fact that there are 65 million refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons. That's a record number.And behind every number, there is a story.Falmata Baba Gana is one of the 65 million. She's a 30-year-old mother who fled her village in northeastern Nigeria almost a year ago after an attack by Boko Haram. She and her 7 children crossed the border into Niger and arrived at the Assaga camp, now home to some 6,000 refugees and people uprooted from their homes within Niger. Located in the Diffa region in southeast Niger, it's a makeshift refuge, buffeted by Sahara desert sands and winds, and running alongside Niger's main east-west expressway.Baba Gana says she's still traumatized by the bloodshed she witnessed at home — and so is her young family."During the last holy fasting month of Ramadan, Boko Haram came to our village. Pa, pa, pa, pa,"One Mother's Perspective On What It's Like To Be A Refugeehttp://ksut.org/post/one-mothers-perspective-what-its-be-refugee
67154 as http://ksut.orgMon, 20 Jun 2016 22:06:00 +0000One Mother's Perspective On What It's Like To Be A RefugeeOfeibea Quist-ArctonNigerian tomatoes are tasty and juicy. But a large basket of toms is now costing an arm and a leg. From about $10.40 three months ago, that price has rocketed 400 percent to a staggering $40, according to local media.Tomato farms in the northwest and central regions have been ravaged, prompting the governor of Kaduna state in the north, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to have reportedly declared a tomato state of emergency in the sector. El-Rufai is quoted as saying 80 percent of Kaduna's tomato production — and the state is deemed by the U.N. to be the tomato capital of Nigeria — has been hit by the disease.That's because a pesky pest — a moth — has got to Nigeria's tomato crop. The insect goes by the name Tuta Absoluta, aka Tomato Leaf Miner, says Daniel Manzo Maigari, Kaduna state's commissioner for agriculture.The moth attacks the leaves of the tomato plant, and larvae produced by the moth feed voraciously on the plants and cause a 100 percent loss in yield. No amount of spraying is said toA Moth Nicknamed 'Tomato Ebola' Ravages Nigeria's Tomatoeshttp://ksut.org/post/moth-nicknamed-tomato-ebola-ravages-nigerias-tomatoes
66529 as http://ksut.orgThu, 26 May 2016 16:52:00 +0000A Moth Nicknamed 'Tomato Ebola' Ravages Nigeria's TomatoesOfeibea Quist-ArctonCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.One Of 219 Missing Nigerian Schoolgirls Reportedly Found Alivehttp://ksut.org/post/one-219-missing-nigerian-schoolgirls-reportedly-found-alive
66316 as http://ksut.orgWed, 18 May 2016 22:41:00 +0000One Of 219 Missing Nigerian Schoolgirls Reportedly Found AliveOfeibea Quist-ArctonCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Senegal's Biggest Art Biennial Returns With Contemporary Exhibitshttp://ksut.org/post/senegals-biggest-art-biennial-returns-contemporary-exhibits
66048 as http://ksut.orgSun, 08 May 2016 12:19:00 +0000Senegal's Biggest Art Biennial Returns With Contemporary ExhibitsOfeibea Quist-ArctonBourang Ba was a young farmer in Sitacourou — a sleepy village of scattered thatched roof dwellings where cattle chomp on hay in courtyards. Last year, the father of two set out for Europe, leaving behind his son, daughter and young wife, Nialina. Like his two half-brothers who had already migrated to Spain, he hoped to send money home for the family.Bourang Ba never made it to Europe. He drowned in the Mediterranean en route."He wanted to do his bit and provide for his relatives, so he left without telling me," sobs Wassa Ba, Bourang Ba's father.The young man, in his 20s, is one of many victims. A little more than two weeks ago, a group of hundreds of migrants from Africa drowned trying to cross to Europe.They were primarily from East Africa, but the migrants are the latest in a wave of people leaving the continent to seek a better life. Many in the exodus are youth from Senegal — particularly the eastern part of that nation.It's at busy bus stations like one in Tambacounda, the mainWhy The Villages Are Losing Their Young Menhttp://ksut.org/post/why-villages-are-losing-their-young-men
65967 as http://ksut.orgThu, 05 May 2016 21:56:00 +0000Why The Villages Are Losing Their Young MenOfeibea Quist-ArctonTributes continue to flood in for celebrated Malian portrait photographer Malick Sidibe, who died of complications from diabetes in Bamako on April 14, at 80.Mali's culture minister, N'Diaye Ramatoulaye Diallo, says Sidibe was a national treasure and an important part of their cultural heritage, whose loss the entire country is mourning.Nicknamed "L'Oeil de Bamako" — the "Eye of Bamako," his capital city — the slim man with the big smile, kind heart and twinkling eyes had a gift for detail encapsulating the exuberance of his country and compatriots, reflected in a lifetime of lyrical, feel-good photographs.Sidibe's distinctive and timeless black and white images, from the 1960s and '70s — the photos he's best known for — remain fresh and exciting more than half a century later. Often with a touch of humor, his pioneering portraits captured the spirit of newly independent Mali, relishing its freedom and having fun.Admirers praise Sidibe for showing a different face of Africa, recordingPhotos: Why Everyone In Mali Wanted To Pose For The Late, Great Sidibehttp://ksut.org/post/photos-why-everyone-mali-wanted-pose-late-great-sidibe
65479 as http://ksut.orgMon, 18 Apr 2016 21:47:00 +0000Photos: Why Everyone In Mali Wanted To Pose For The Late, Great SidibeOfeibea Quist-ArctonCopyright 2016 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.Gunmen Target Beach Popular With Tourists In Ivory Coasthttp://ksut.org/post/gunmen-target-beach-popular-tourists-ivory-coast
64433 as http://ksut.orgMon, 14 Mar 2016 09:11:00 +0000Gunmen Target Beach Popular With Tourists In Ivory CoastOfeibea Quist-ArctonWhen the military took power in Ghana, imposing a curfew from the early 1980s, theaters in the West African country went dark. By the time elected-civilian government was restored in 1992, many Ghanaians had lost the habit of going out to watch a play.Now one man is luring his compatriots back to live shows — and away from TV and videos. His name is James Ebo Whyte — "but everyone in Ghana calls me 'Uncle' Ebo Whyte, because of the program I do on radio," he says.You can't miss the nattily dressed playwright. At 70 years old, he's small, dynamic and fit with a big smile. The one-time businessman regularly leaps on stage to talk to the audience for whatever reason — whether to explain a cut to the power supply or to encourage the enthusiastic theatergoers to pick up his magazine and buy tickets for his next play."I've been writing, directing and producing a play every quarter for the last seven years, and this is my 28th play in seven years," Whyte says.Once Ghana had a thriving andYears After Its Curfew Killed Theater, Ghana Gets A Second Acthttp://ksut.org/post/years-after-its-curfew-killed-theater-ghana-gets-second-act
62642 as http://ksut.orgSun, 10 Jan 2016 21:30:00 +0000Years After Its Curfew Killed Theater, Ghana Gets A Second ActOfeibea Quist-ArctonCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: And I'm joined now by NPR's West Africa correspondent Ofeibea Quist-Arcton. She's reported extensively on Boko Haram. Ofeibea, we just heard Nick Schifrin say the Nigerian government has taken back territory from Boko Haram. We also have this clip of President Buhari in a BBC interview essentially declaring victory. Let me play that for you.(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)MUHAMMADU BUHARI: Boko Haram, as an organized fighting force, we have dealt with them. Boko Haram cannot now march their forces and attack towns or attack military installations. Technically, we've won the war because people are going back into their neighborhoods.MARTIN: Ofeibea, that is a bold statement. Do the people of Nigeria see it that way?QUIST-ARCTON: There's no doubt that Boko Haram has been driven from many of its strongholds in northeastern Nigeria. Now, President Muhammadu Buhari says technically, we have won the war. Those in the know say butNigeria Declares Victory Over Boko Haram — But Do Nigerians See It That Way?http://ksut.org/post/nigeria-declares-victory-over-boko-haram-do-nigerians-see-it-way
62297 as http://ksut.orgSun, 27 Dec 2015 22:18:00 +0000Nigeria Declares Victory Over Boko Haram — But Do Nigerians See It That Way?Ofeibea Quist-ArctonMariama Keita grows peanuts the old-fashioned way: using hoes, pitchforks and, when needed, horses as beasts of burden.She doesn't have a tractor or any mechanized tools.But the mother of two does have one new weapon in her agricultural arsenal to help keep her farm running: her cellphone.For the last eight years, Keita has been farming the 10 acres she inherited from her father. The property is in Kaffrine in central Senegal — the country's peanut-growing region.An area that's brown and sandy during the dry season is lush and green during the rainy season, ahead of the harvest. Birds chirp loudly in a bright blue sky, as a herder minds sleek, white-horned cattle. Horse-drawn carts transport passengers and crops along the road nearby.The crop is looking good. Keita tugs at the root of peanut plants — known as groundnuts in West Africa — shaking off the soil to reveal healthy nuts beneath.Senegal is in Africa's arid Sahel region, buffeted by the Sahara Desert. Agriculture here is highlyThis Peanut Farmer Turns To A Cellphone — And Prayer — For A Top Crophttp://ksut.org/post/peanut-farmer-turns-cellphone-and-prayer-top-crop
61683 as http://ksut.orgThu, 03 Dec 2015 21:02:00 +0000This Peanut Farmer Turns To A Cellphone — And Prayer — For A Top CropOfeibea Quist-ArctonCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: British prime minister David Cameron today told Parliament that the U.K. should join the U.S. and France in bombing raids on ISIS and Syria.(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)DAVID CAMERON: We should answer the call from our allies. The action we propose is legal. It is necessary, and it is the right thing to do to keep our country safe.SIEGEL: And the House of Commons agrees. Members voted to allow British airstrikes in Syria but only after 11 and a half hours of contentious - as you could hear - debate. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton is in London and joins us now. And Ofeibea, why did the British Parliament debate this - vote so long? What was so controversial?OFEIBEA QUIST-ARCTON, BYLINE: There was so many impassioned speeches, emotional speeches, Robert, from the government side, from the conservatives and from the opposition labor. I mean, people had opinions about whether they should vote with or vote against. Now, the laborBritish Parliament Debates Approving Airstrikes Against ISIS In Syriahttp://ksut.org/post/british-parliament-debates-approving-airstrikes-against-isis-syria
61629 as http://ksut.orgWed, 02 Dec 2015 22:15:00 +0000British Parliament Debates Approving Airstrikes Against ISIS In SyriaOfeibea Quist-ArctonCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit MICHEL MARTIN, HOST: Now we'd like to bring you up to date on the situation in Mali. Authorities there are still searching for all those responsible for a Friday terrorist attack on a hotel in Bamako, the capital of Mali. Two known attackers are dead, but authorities believe that others responsible might still be at large. They held 170 people hostage for hours and killed at least 19, including one American. Ofeibea Quist-Arcton is NPR's Africa correspondent, and she joins us from London to give us some context on this story. Ofeibea, thanks for speaking with us.OFEIBEA QUIST-ARCTON, BYLINE: Greetings.MARTIN: So Ofeibea, how has the government of Mali reacted to all this?QUIST-ARCTON: Mali is in shock, and the president declared three days of mourning and also a state of emergency for 10 days. But he spoke to the nation today, and he said, you know, across the world, nobody is safe. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't live. He pointed to Paris andThe Mali Hotel Assault: The Day Afterhttp://ksut.org/post/mali-hotel-assault-day-after
61367 as http://ksut.orgSat, 21 Nov 2015 22:10:00 +0000The Mali Hotel Assault: The Day AfterOfeibea Quist-ArctonCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: We cannot be sure this morning if a hostage situation is over in Mali. We do know, though, that Malian forces, with Western assistance, assaulted a hotel where gunmen had taken many hostages today. Let's talk through what's known starting with NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton. And Ofeibea, what's the latest you have?OFEIBEA QUIST-ARCTON, BYLINE: The latest is still three hostages apparently killed - that comes from a Malian official. But we're hearing much higher numbers now, Steve, of people killed because earlier, Malian commanders, as you've said, assisted by French special forces and we're told some American troops in the mix, went after those who had taken the hostages - about 170 of them, 30 Radisson hotel staff and then the rest are guests. It seems that dozens have been able to escape or were freed - many, many questions still to be asked.INSKEEP: And one question that we are asking is whether this is over. Some reportsThe Latest On The Hostage Crisis In Malihttp://ksut.org/post/latest-hostage-crisis-mali
61341 as http://ksut.orgFri, 20 Nov 2015 18:07:00 +0000The Latest On The Hostage Crisis In MaliOfeibea Quist-Arcton Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit STEVE INSKEEP, HOST: Bamako, the city where a hostage situation unfolded this morning is the capital of Mali in West Africa. It has a population of about 1.8 million, and it includes a upscale district of recent construction, which is where you can find an upscale chain hotel, the Radisson Blu. It's frequently used by people from India, China, Turkey, France and the United States. And it's believed that people from all those countries and perhaps more were in the hotel when gunmen walked in and took hostages today. And now we're told Mali's military has been trying to free them. Let's get the latest from NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton who covers West Africa. She's monitoring the story from London. And Ofeibea, what's the latest that you have?OFEIBEA QUIST-ARCTON, BYLINE: Yet to confirm, Steve, and we're checking it out, but apparently a Malian official has told local television in Mali that the gunmen at the Radisson hotel are no longer holding anySpecial Forces Clash With Hostage-Takers In Mali Hotelhttp://ksut.org/post/special-forces-clash-hostage-takers-mali-hotel
61342 as http://ksut.orgFri, 20 Nov 2015 18:07:00 +0000Special Forces Clash With Hostage-Takers In Mali HotelOfeibea Quist-ArctonCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: And let's take a step back now to see what details we can get on this breaking - fast-breaking story there in Bomako, Mali. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton is following the details from London.And what do you know at this moment in time? Security forces have begun a counter-assault. That's what we were hearing just a few minutes ago.OFEIBEA QUIST-ARCTON, BYLINE: Indeed, and we are told that they have stormed - Malian security forces have stormed the Radisson Blu Hotel in this Sahara desert capital city, Bamako, which is on the River Niger, as Niek de Goeij was saying, though, the question is, which group might it be? And it could be any number of groups. Apparently, we're told - first we were told two gunmen and then now reports saying more, apparently in a vehicle with diplomatic license plates went into the hotel and started shooting, shouting Islamist slogans and then we were told that, floor-by-floor, started collectingSome Hostages Freed During Siege At Mali Hotelhttp://ksut.org/post/some-hostages-freed-during-siege-mali-hotel
61325 as http://ksut.orgFri, 20 Nov 2015 13:09:00 +0000Some Hostages Freed During Siege At Mali HotelOfeibea Quist-ArctonCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: We're tracking a hostage situation in Mali this morning. Two gunmen took over an upscale hotel - the Radisson Blu - in the capital Bamako. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton is following this story from London. And, Ofeibea, good morning, and what do we know?OFEIBEA QUIST-ARCTON, BYLINE: Hi, Renee, we're being told that Malian forces have stormed the Radisson Blu in the city. And, as you've said, these Islamist gunmen have been holding apparently 170 people hostage. Renee, unconfirmed, but a Malian official source saying three of the hostages have been killed - yet to be confirmed. At least 10 to 20 others have been freed. Now, let me just take you back to early this morning. The gunmen - two we're told, but now some reports are saying more arrived at the hotel, apparently perhaps in a vehicle that had diplomatic number plates, shouting Islamist slogans and forcing their way into the hotel, which they stormed. Now, that isHostages Taken In Mali's Capital After Gunmen Storm Radissonhttp://ksut.org/post/hostages-taken-malis-capital-after-gunmen-storm-radisson
61320 as http://ksut.orgFri, 20 Nov 2015 10:52:00 +0000Hostages Taken In Mali's Capital After Gunmen Storm RadissonOfeibea Quist-ArctonCopyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST: We're tracking a hostage situation in Mali today. Two gunmen took over an upscale hotel. The Radisson Blu is in the capital, Bamako. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton is following this story from London and joins us now. Good morning.OFEIBEA QUIST-ARCTON, BYLINE: Greetings, Renee. It's a fast-moving one, this.MONTAGNE: And so far, what do you know?QUIST-ARCTON: We're being told the latest is that apparently Malian security forces have been storming the Radisson Blu in Bamako where we're told - we were initially told two gunmen, but it seems it may be more - were holding 170 people hostage. That's guests and Radisson hotel staff. We're told between 10 and 20 may have been freed. And possibly, unconfirmed, Renee, that three of the hostages might have been killed. Apparently, the gunmen arrived in a vehicle early this morning, shouting Islamist slogans and forced their way inside and then were going from floor to floor. That's theGunmen Take Over Upscale Hotel In Mali's Capital http://ksut.org/post/africa-worries-extremism-will-hit-countries-across-continent
61321 as http://ksut.orgFri, 20 Nov 2015 10:50:00 +0000Gunmen Take Over Upscale Hotel In Mali's Capital